Vicaima was chosen to provide the interior door sets for the World Wildlife Fund Living Planet Centre in Woking, which is also home to the WWF.  The centre is at the very forefront of sustainable design and construction, and is one of the greenest buildings in the UK.  It is testimony to achieving the reality of living in harmony with nature.

As well as being the new home of the WWF, the building is an inspirational educational resource which shows, through smart use of design, materials and technology, that it is possible to create a state-of-the-art building with minimal environmental impact.

From the outset, Hopkins Architects and WWF set out to attain the highest possible standards of sustainability and worked to BREAM ‘outstanding’ criteria throughout – an ‘award’ the project team is – at the time of writing - hopeful of achieving.

Vicaima was chosen to manufacture and supply the interior door sets throughout the building – a choice that was based on Vicaima’s robust and extensive environmental policy, commitment to responsible sourcing of raw materials, and full FSC accreditation.  NHE (N. H. Etheridge (Building) Ltd.)was awarded the carpentry and joinery contract by principle contractors Willmot Dixon, and NHE contracts director Steve Etheridge comments:  “From the outset we knew that WWF Living Planet Centre would be a hugely challenging project due to the high demands of sustainability and quality.  Part of our scope of works, included the supply and installation of internal timber door sets, and it soon became apparent that this element would be one of the most complicated and difficult to produce due to the integration and fully flush finish within the birch plywood wall panelling required by Hopkins Architects.”

Steve continues: “Although we consulted a number of door manufacturers, Vicaima was the only door set manufacturer which fully appreciated the exacting requirements of the specification and was able and willing to take on the challenge.”

Vicaima supplied a total of 46 fully finished, oversize Portaro door sets in various heights, the tallest being  2370mm for an entrance door to the auditorium, and to different widths;  the maximum being 1130mm wide.  The doors were finished in birch to complement the wall panelling.  Portaro is an outstanding complete door system, providing the perfect partnership between door, frame and architrave, providing a fully finished door, frame, architrave and ironmongery together in one single system.  Vicaima now offers this high performance door to a height of 2350mm to give a dramatic floor to ceiling look which can be further enhanced by seamlessly integrating the door – using invisible hinges – into full wall-width panels giving a stunning contemporary ‘panoramic’ look.

Steve Etheridge adds: “In joint meetings with the architects, client and supplier, we were confident that Vicaima would answer all the demands of the project, which they did throughout the build.  The door sets were of excellent quality and they integrated seamlessly within the wall panelling that features throughout the building.  NHE is pleased to be associated with Vicaima on this prestigious project where the combination of high quality supply and installation resulted in a hugely successful completion.”

The Portaro range offers one of the widest number of finish options available anywhere.  In addition to beautiful stained veneers, fully finished paint, laminate, foil, grooved face and inlay options, a complete Pantone matched colour spectrum is now offered which offers unlimited and exciting design possibilities.

Portaro is one of the most adaptable door systems on the market, offering fire, acoustic and security options if required, and where accurate fitting and performance is assured.

For more details about Vicaima Portaro and other door products  download a copy of the Door Kit and Set Solutions brochure  or contact us.

Vicaima sources all wood from responsibly-managed forests certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).  The company takes a responsible approach to the consequences of industrial activity and its effect on the environment, and as a matter of course uses timber from renewable sources and properly managed forests, and has a policy of using alternatives to endangered hardwood timbers.

Vicaima’s environmental accreditations and social responsibility statement can be viewed at www.vicaima.com/en/sustainability

 See Project